Showbiz personality and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Image Bureau, George Quaye, has asked President Nana Akufo-Addo to lock-down the country before it’s too late to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Ghana has since recorded 53 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with two deaths.
Mr Quaye, in a long Facebook post on Sunday, wrote a long note explaining why he thinks a lock-down maybe the best option for Ghana.
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He wrote:
Dear Mr President, Uneasy they say lies the head that wears the crown. But beyond that crown you also currently wear the heaviest, tightest and most uncomfortable pair of shoes on the land Sir.
I can only imagine how tough it must be. Knowing that the fate of the nation; what will be left of us in the next couple of months; zombies, ghosts or a strong nation that stood together and defeated the ruthless force of COVID 19 in that ruthless battle that shook the world, is in your hands.
Many are those that wish you would say the wrong thing or issue the wrong command so they jump on it to score cheap political points. But thank God you were born to lead. You have done great so far Sir and you deserve every commendation and praise.
You and that young Minister of yours called Hon. Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah are so far my heroes in this ‘combat’. But the next couple of days if not weeks are going to be the most challenging Sir.
The numbers are rising and if what’s happened and still happening in other counties is anything to go by, then we know the normal protocols spelt out in your earlier addresses may not be enough Sir. IS IT TIME TO PUT GHANA ON A TOTAL LOCKDOWN? I am sure you may have had over a thousand meetings, discussions and debates on this one topic.
On the one hand, the thoughts of how hard people may be hit by a total lockdown (no public transport, no markets, no work, no street hawking, no corner shops…everyone just stay at home till further notice) the panic, our inability to financially support industries, firms and individuals who may suffer the possible harsh effects of a lockdown as is being done by other countries (maybe we can-I really don’t know), how your political opponents may spin it against you, especially at a time when it appears the situation has probably not ‘escalated’ to that level yet, etc.
On the other hand the big, WHAT IF! What if it got worse? What if for refusing to lock us down now COVID 19 got spread through our public transport system, shops, markets, even our offices, etc. What if we became the next Italy (God save them) in the next couple of days, if not weeks because you refused to lock us down early enough? What will your political opponents say? How will Ghana remember you? Or are we in a position to contain, manage and survive the kind of “hell” Italy is going through? Like I said earlier, you have done great so far Sir.
You have led from the front, given us hope and a lot of confidence through your addresses. God richly bless you. But “WHAT IF” Sir? I neither have the heart, sense nor knowledge to beg you to lock us down.
God knows I don’t want us to be locked down. But if that is what could save us from what’s already here and could get worse, then why wait to do it when it could be too late?
I only worry because I see countries that are better resourced in almost everything than us struggle with this thing. I see them bury their citizens in scary large numbers. I worry Sir. You are a man of God. You love God just as some of us do. God loves Ghana. And I don’t think it’s by accident that He gave us such a great head-start with this thing.
Are we going to wait for COVID 19 to catch up completely? Kenneth Dino once said “There are no guarantees or crystal balls for the future, and there’s no absolute way to know if you are or aren’t making the right decision. Just try to give tomorrow the best possible chance you possibly can”.
Mr. President, I don’t know if my family and I can survive a lockdown.
But I do know for sure that if this thing gets out of control, we will definitely not survive. So I ask in all humility Sir, by not locking us down now, are we giving tomorrow the best possible chance? Thank you Sir God bless you and God bless our homeland Ghana!
George Quaye